Chapter 116
If she pushed the right buttons and said something extreme enough, she might just infuriate Arthur to the point where he would demand Frederick divorce her on the spot.
Once Arthur gave the order, her divorce would be finalized, and she would completely lose her value as Frederick’s convenient shield.
Then, Frederick would have zero leverage left to threaten her parents, and her family would finally be free of this senseless collateral damage.
Fairchild Manor.
Just as Maeve gathered her thoughts and walked through the doors, she immediately realized the atmosphere was completely suffocating.
Arthur sat at the head of the living room, his face a terrifying shade of purple. Lydia sat rigidly on the sofa, looking at Maeve as if she had a million things to say but couldn’t.
Before Maeve could even process the tension, Zoe walked in from the hallway. Her eyes were red, and she was leading a tearful, swollen-eyed Charlie by the hand.
A second later, Frederick strode briskly through the front doors in a sharp black suit, clear anxiety plastered across his handsome face.
When his eyes landed on Maeve, he froze, his brows instantly knitting together in a heavy frown before he turned his face away in blatant disgust.
Maeve bit her lip until it turned pale.
No matter how thoroughly disappointed she was in Frederick, being looked at with that level of revulsion still stung her deeply.
Arthur’s booming, furious voice shattered the silence.
“Zoe, I am right here. Don’t be afraid. Tell everyone exactly what Charlie went through, and I will personally see that justice is done p>
Zoe pulled Charlie to the center of the room. She rolled up his small sleeves, revealing a tapestry of dark purple and blue bruises across his pale, delicate arms. It was a horrifying sight, making it look as though the child had survived some form of brutal torture.
Maeve’s pupils contracted sharply. When Charlie had left Wisteria Cove yesterday to be driven back to Havencrest Apartments, he had been perfectly fine.
How did he end up looking like this overnight?
Even though she despised Zoe, she had no ill will toward Charlie. Seeing a child in that state naturally tugged at her conscience.
She opened her mouth, about to ask what had happened, when Zoe’s dramatic sobbing beat her to it.
“Maeve, I know you hate seeing Frederick and his parents taking care of me. I know you resent me. But if you have a problem with me, you can take it out on me! Why would you do this to Charlie? He ss just a little boy, and he doesn’t even have his father around anymore. What if this leaves him scarred for life p>
Hearing this, Maeve finally understood exactly why Lydia had called her here.
She stared at Zoe’s crocodile tears, utterly bewildered by the sheer audacity.
“Are you trying to say I deliberately pinched Charlie just so you could run here and play the victim p>
Zoe’s eyes shifted nervously for a split second before she doubled down on her self-righteous outrage.
“Charlie told me everything! When he went to Wisteria Cove, you viciously told him you were going to starve him, and you locked him outside the glass doors to be eaten alive by mosquitoes! You threatened him, saving if he told anyone you pinched him, he’d be sorry. If I hadn’t been so heartbroken and forced the truth out of him, he would have been toto terrified to ever speak up p>
She clutched her chest, the very picture of a devastated mother.
“Maeve, Charlie was Felix’s firstborn He’s been fragile since the day he was born. I spend every waking moment carefully watching over him, terrified he might even catch a cold. Knowing you ve been in a bad mood lately, and knowing how sweet and obedient Charlie is, I suggested to Frederick that he go keep you company. How could you treat him like this p>
By the time she finished her speech, tears were streaming down her face. She staggered backward as if she were completely overwhelmed by emotion and on the verge of collapsing, desperately fighting to stay upright.
“Maeve, I always respected you so much. But for you to do this to my son… you’ve disappointed me beyond words p>